Flame's Effect
by Aureux
Summary: In response to the MBI's growing influence, the Vongola has agreed to send it's heir to Tokyo to facilitate peace by acting as a mediator between the two groups. But Minaka rarely does thing without a plan. Now, thrust full on into the Sekirei Plan, Tsuna must make friends in order to survive as an Ashikabi Sky. Sky meets flame, and all shall end in love or ashes. TsunaXHomura
1. A Sky's Arrival

Tsunayoshi Sawada ran his hands through his hair for what could have only been the hundredth time that day. At his side, a woman with gray hair and cloaked in a lab coat was preparing a syringe of liquid that shown a faint pink in the light. A concoction that was meant to be injected into the waiting arm of the mafia heir.

Tsuna resisted the urge to tug at his fringe once more in concealed anxiety, the entire situation a few steps outside of his comfort zone. All the while his golden-brown eyes continued to watch her, the thumb of his free hand rubbing against his boss ring which warmed at the contact. Natsu, himself, seemed to vibrate lightly at Tsuna's touch; likely mimicking his master's own twisting nerves.

It had been a mission from Nono that brought him here, sitting in one of the sterile white offices of the MBI.

MBI, or Mid Bio Informatics, is a large conglomerate that had surfaced in the past twenty years and was quick to climb to the top charts, almost topping Vongola's own civilian corporation VMA. Nono, not eager to start a war or anything of the like with the MBI, let this giant leap slide. That was until the MBI began expanding into other areas, gaining enough control to take over Tokyo and even hold a standing army of its own. It's power was said to rival the Vongola's own and, despite keeping to Japan, it still set many of the higher members on edge. More than likely it had to do with the connection that many of Vongola's higher officials and the heir himself had to Japan, and the slight risk to their families the MBI could prove to be.

The most openly disgruntled of all was naturally Kyoya Hibari himself, having used the influence of the Vongola to claim the entirety of Japan under his control. It was all anyone in the Vongola could do to prevent the Cloud Guardian from causing a national incident by "biting to death" the chairman of the MBI.

In a bid for peace and to soothe Tsuna's Guardian, Nono staged talks with Minaka Hiroto in order to try and come to an understanding. Tsuna himself wasn't present for these talks having been busy at the time stopping a war between the Baron Famiglia and the Stratos Famiglia.

Kormac Baron took offense to Mikhail Stratos refusing his daughter Angela's affections, despite said daughter being only 14 while Mikhail was 27. Kormac claimed it was an insult, while Mikhail maintained that playing along with Angela's affections would have been unethical and morally reprehensible. Mikhail himself, on top of being 11 years older than Angela, was also engaged. And his "scorning of Angela's affections" was him merely telling her that it wouldn't work out and proposing to set Angela up with his kid brother who was closer to her age. Despite the fair explanation and reasoning, Kormac continued actively finding ways to take offense at Mikhail's actions. Due to Kormac's hostility Tsuna himself had to stage talks between the two, as well as resist banging his head on the table at the stupidity of the matter, and couldn't be present at Nono's meeting whether he wanted to or not.

It proved not to be that big of a deal though, for the two were quick to come to a mutual agreement, one that involved Tsuna himself. No sooner that the 19 year old returned home was he told to start packing to leave again.

It so happened to turn out that Tsuna himself was to be used as a bargaining chip. Mr. Hiroto demanded a "show of goodwill" in the form of Nono allowing him to host one of the Vongola's higher members. This would both act as insurance that the Vongola wouldn't attack and allow for the Vongola to safely snoop to their heart's content, something mutually beneficial. Naturally Nono, who had been a mafia boss for 60 years and rarely encountered things like this ending so simply, was suspicious but ultimately decided with Reborn's input to agree.

Also under Reborn's urging, Tsuna was to be the one sent rather than one of his Guardians or the CEDEF. Most of Tsuna's Guardians were known to be eccentric, even more-so when Tsuna wasn't around to temper their more volatile traits, and the CEDEF members screamed military just as much as the Varia. Tsuna himself, being such a pure sky, would be able to naturally inspire trust leading to people unconsciously lowering their guards around him. That, mixed with his training, would put Tsuna in a position to get any information he needed and completely take down the MBI should it reach such a point.

Tsuna, for his part, was weary at the prospect of being a glorified hostage for roughly a year but nonetheless willing to do it. His guardians though, well there was a reason he left in the middle of the night. Sadly Reborn caught him, turning what was supposed to be a 3 AM departing time to 6 AM with "last minute preparations". But, though he would never admit it, the young mafioso was glad that Reborn cared.

Needless to say, Tsuna ended up sleeping through most of the ride there and had to change before he left the plane lest his clothes be ripped up and torn when he went to meet his host.

"Tsunayoshi-san, I am ready to give you your shot now," the woman's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He couldn't help the small sigh as he released his grip on his ring and moved to push up his left sleeve to reveal the lean muscle of his upper arm.

The woman's eyebrow rose, but she silently dismissed whatever she was about to say. Instead she leaned closer, readying the needle to enter. There was a faint pinch, the sensation of something being pushed in, and then it was done and she was as far away from him as she could politely be.

"Am I good to go?" Tsuna asked, already standing and pulling his sleeve back down. The tender site protested the rub of fabric lightly, but the brunette dismissed it with ease. It was nothing compared to the irritating pull of tape when an IV was pulled out, a feeling he was sadly very accustomed to.

"Yes. That should do it. Just call back if you experience any allergic reactions to the vaccine," the doctor replied briskly before waving him out. All the while she was murmuring to herself about Minaka being a fool. She herself didn't seem enthused about the entire situation.

Tsuna for one couldn't help but agree, as the faint niggling of his Hyper Intuition faded in time to his footsteps toward the elevator. This situation was fishy, no matter how it was spun. It was no surprised that what he was given wasn't really a "vaccine for a virus outbreak in Tokyo". His intuition spotted the lie as it was told. It was only through his confidence in Vongola, which was beaten into him by one particularly frightening Hitman, that he was able to take the "vaccine" without batting an eye. Anything the vaccine did, whether it be poison or something less harmful, he was all but confident that the Vongola could reverse it.

Though that didn't make him exactly happy that he had been injected with Primo knows what. His only comfort was that his intuition didn't register it as deadly or particularly harmful.

Tsuna paused his internal grumbling long enough to press the elevator call button before he allowed himself to settle back into his thoughts. All the while a sick heat had began to pool in his gut, likely the result of nerves that had been present since the plane ride. No matter how it was spun, Tsuna was at a disadvantage here. Mr. Hiroto held all the cards, he just was along for the ride in hopes that he would be free to act should the situation arise.

The mafia heir pushed those thoughts down and decided to focus his energy more on getting to the apartment he was to stay in and having a nice hot shower. He would worry about what happened next in the morning, however irresponsible that attitude may be. Frankly the 8 hour time difference was getting to him and to make matters worse the start of a headache was beginning to form behind his eyes, not improving his work ethic any.

He pushed past the desire to just curl up in the hallway then and there as the elevator sang it's arrival and revealed the nauseating crowd already in it. It was all Tsuna could do to maturely step into the group of warm bodies and wait for his stop like a proper polite adult rather than simply running to the closest window and flying out of it.

As convenient as his flames where, they were a hell and a half to explain. But maybe that could have been easier than Tsuna's current situation, surrounded by the smells of caffeine and depression as the office drones tiredly cluster around half-hearted conversations.

Finally, at long last the elevators open and Tsuna is the first one out. His chocolate mess of hair a blur that would likely be passed around in rumors about the speed of the handsome and wealthy stranger that screamed Italian despite his Japanese features. Tsuna couldn't bring himself to worry about the rumors and whispers as he ducked for the door.

The faint hum of a security scanner passed over his ears, but the brunette was all too used to it and did little to slow his pace to the sidewalk where his orange Kawasaki was waiting. He hardly even spared a minute to pull on his helmet before zooming onto the street to join the motor-traffic of Tokyo.

All was going well, shaping up to be a routine driving trip through a city and toward his apartment. That was until the throbbing started. The previous tapping of a pain in his head had built up into a full on pound that made his sight blur and the lights leave awkward trails that refused to be blinked away. Meanwhile his stomach refused to be still, the previous warmth now an aching inferno as if he had eaten his own sky flame.

None of the known poisons that were beaten into Tsuna's head seemed to fit the symptoms. Heck nothing that could have been given to him would have so successful circumvented his Hyper Intuition, but whatever this was did. If it was in fact a toxin, it would have had to be handmade and initially something entirely harmless, which wouldn't have been difficult for a pharmaceutical compan-

 **BANG!**

A new pain took over the two previous ones, as his back impacted painfully with the cement. A few feet away his motorcycle laid sputtering on the road, wedged underneath a truck who decided now was a good time to run a red light, something that Tsuna would have noticed if he had been in any shape to pay attention.

The brunette's already blurry sight took on a doubled quality as he registered the warm red liquid trailing down his head. Tsuna was fainting aware of the silver haired man leaning over him, a half finished cigarette poking out of his mouth as he yelled at the mafia heir to stay awake. But it seemed the blow to the head was enough to push Tsuna's exhaustion over the edge and he greeted unconsciousness as darkness washed over him.

.:HXH:.

Homura for his part, continued to add to the growing string of cuss words as he watched the brunette's honey eyes slide shut.

What was supposed to be a routine smoke break turned south so quickly. One minute he was minding his business, enjoying the familiar puff of smoke tainting his lungs, then the next there is a horrible squeal of tires as metal meets metal in the familiar sounds of a wreck.

As honorable a man as the silverette was, he would have been happy to turn his back on such civilian troubles that he had no place getting involved in. But his horrible luck struck again as the sound of skin hitting pavement sounded hardly a foot away from him, followed by the impact of a motorcycle helmet against his shin. Against his better judgement, Homura turned to look and found a guy no older than him crumpled against the ground bleeding from his head and a few other cuts dotting his form.

Throwing caution to the wind, he approached the brunette only to watch as the guy's eyes started to close and refused to open even with all of Homura's yells. So, being the good Samaritan he apparently now was, he barked at all the gawkers to call an ambulance or something and busied himself with checking to see if the guy was alive and trying to wake him back up.

Even when the ambulance came and gave Homura the opening to simply leave the guy to be taken care of by paramedics and let the hospital deal with finding family and all that, his conscience outweighed common sense. Without a second thought, he jumped into the ambulance and rode with the guy to the hospital. All the while he continued to assure himself that it wasn't because of the faint tingling that shot up his arm as he checked the brunette's pulse. After all it was that Minato kid he reacted to… right?

* * *

 **||AUTHOR'S NOTE||**

 **I'm sorry if the first chapter is boring. I was just trying to give all the exposition information needed and introduce you to the start of the story. It should get more interesting from here, I promise. I just needed to get the start out of the way and decided to go for a more direct approach as opposed to a bunch of fluff.**

 **As with everyone, I enjoy reviews. So until next time, tell me what you think and I will try to update soon, meaning hopefully there won't be months between chapters. Wish me luck that all goes well and I can update semi-regularly.**

 **~Aureux**


	2. A Sky's Scars

**Trigger Warning: Abuse, Sexuality Bashing, and Offensive Language (censored)**

* * *

 _~Three Months Earlier~_

"Tsu-kun why don't you spend time with me anymore?" Kyoko looked up at him with her golden hazel eyes, glittering with tears. Tsuna couldn't bear to look in them any long and brought his eyes down to the ground.

"I'm sorry, I just am busy," That was the truth, but not the entire truth. There was more to it, like the nights lying awake next to his girlfriend with his stomach churning in guilt and disgust. He couldn't help but not be attracted to her. Yet he stayed with her, if only to hold his family together, to keep Ryohei happy. The truth of the matter though was that he had finally begun to see past Kyoko's angelic features and see just how manipulative she truly was.

"Are you hiding things from me again?" she hitched her voice low, making the notes vibrate with whimpers. To anyone else, they would immediately fall for Kyoko's faux misery much like they would cave under the large eyes of a puppy. But Tsuna had long gotten used to her tactics, her ploys to make him cave and fall into her trap.

"I just want to protect you," was his reply, long rehearsed from the many times he said it in the past and actually meant it. Now it was little more than a hollow excuse, something only Reborn could really spot, at least normally. But for once it seems as if Kyoko caught on to the dullness of his tone, if the fire in her eyes meant anything.

"I'm already in danger! Dating you puts me in danger! So stop making excuses and just admit that you are cheating on me!" the caramel haired woman screamed, one hand cocked back to smack him.

Tsuna didn't flinch as she slapped him, her manicured nails poised in claws and leaving four bleeding scratches across his cheeks. In the back of his mind, Natsu bristled and growled, but the Mafia Heir refused to hit her back.

The Mafia had changed Kyoko. What was once a radiant and sweet girl who reminded him of sunflowers had become like an orange lily, beautiful but poisonous. Her kindness was double-edged, laying small traps that she could trigger to guilt and pain the receiver. In the wake of growing skill with manipulation, her confidence had also dropped, making her more prone to fits of jealousy and rage.

Maybe it was because she was now the weakest person around, with Tsuna no longer the Dame he was in Middleschool. Puberty had been kind to him, chiseling his features. As many had suspected, he had come to greatly resemble Primo and as such got much attention from members of both sexes, though the ones Kyoko was more worried about was female's naturally. Even if men held just as much attraction to the young Mafia Heir as women.

"You are right, I am cheating on your," the lie tasted bitter on his tongue, but it was worth it. He just was so tired, of pretending this was okay. That he was happy with any of this. If it took a lie to get Kyoko to break up with him, then so be it. So long as Tsuna never had to fake adoration for someone who was a shell of the girl he knew.

Some say you never really know a person until you live with them. Tsuna could agree to that statement. If he never brought her with him to Italy, he likely would have never found out just how dark the girl was inside, how merciless. _Like a real Mafia Wife_ , he thought darkly.

"Who is she!? Who is the c*** who has been taking your attention from me!?"

Tsuna tuned back into the conversation, finally paying attention to Kyoko's yells. The lovely woman was practically frothing at the mouth as she spit cuss words that would have made Reborn frown.

"Kyoya. I've been cheating on you with Kyoya," Tsuna continued his lie without a second thought. In some ways it was true. He would often go to his Cloud Guardian after a fight, to cool down and relax. The other man didn't ask questions and would let Tsuna vent without repeating it to the other Guardians. In all this, Kyoya had been his greatest friend, treating him with no judgement and giving him a distraction to escape the many thoughts boiling in his mind.

But that didn't mean the other Guardians were completely in the dark. Tsuna had a hunch that Mukuro had found out and passed in onto Chrome. Whenever in Kyoko's presence the Mist Guardian's lip would curl and Chrome herself had began to distance herself from Kyoko. Hayato and Takeshi might have also somewhat caught on, at least that there was something going on with the two. They would often come up with ways to get Tsuna out of spending time alone with Kyoko. Reborn though, Reborn knew everything without Tsuna saying a word. Something that made Tsuna both grateful and ashamed.

He was torn from his thoughts as his Hyper Intuition prickled.

Kyoko, for her part, seemed to have realized he wasn't listening and decided to up her game. With a feral scream she ran at him, jumping at the Mafia Heir and wrapping her thin fingers around his neck.

"A man! You would jeopardize what we have for a man! They were always right about you! I should have listened! You really are nothing but a disgusting 'No Good' f**!" She spit in his face as he stared calmly up at her, ignoring the pressure around his neck that wasn't hard or proper enough to choke him. That didn't change the fact that her nails were starting to dig into his throat though.

"Yes. I have always liked men. I just like women as well. Sadly I have been dating neither," Tsuna answered distantly despite the breathe beginning to catch. Everything felt duller, as if all emotions had washed away into the sea of calm logic. He was almost certain his pure orange flame was dancing above his head, the light from it reflecting off the twisted face above him.

Kyoko's hands tightened, sending rivulets of blood down his throat. But before any real damage could be done, a shadow fell over the couple and she was pulled off of him. Suit clad hands pinned her to the wall, as the hitman rested a gun to her hand, Leon hissing from his perch on the fedora's brim.

"I thought I told you to take care of it Idiot Apprentice," Reborn growled under his breathe, but his anger was more directed at the panting female under his grip.

"That is what I was doing. It didn't exactly go as planned,"

"I can see that,"

Kyoko went lax in the Hitman's hands, completely awake but boneless. The only thing that kept her against the wall was his hands. That was the sight Ryohei was greeted with when he and the rest of the Guardians when to investigate the noise. And as usual he didn't think twice before launching at Reborn, screaming at the other man to release his sister. Reborn did so with pleasure and all seemed to be well enough, as Tsuna was swarmed by the rest of the Guardians who spotted the scratches.

That was until Kyoko decided to open her mouth and use her greatest weapon, words.

"Onii-chan, Tsuna… he…" That's all it took, punctuated with a few sniffles, before Ryohei gently placed his sister on the ground and turned to launch at Tsuna with rage in his eyes.

Kyoya intercepted him with a low tche of annoyance, batting the boxer away with a tonfa.

"Don't believe everything you hear, boxing herbivore,"

"Kyoya," Tsuna breathed out, somewhere between relief and agitation, "Thank you for stepping in, but it is time I handle this once and for all,"

Tsuna rose to his feet, brushing off the hands of Chrome which were hovering over him in worry. He knew he likely looked like a wreck, his eyes tired and bruised from lack of sleep and his clothes ruffled from being worn all day and his previous tumble. But he felt strong, like he could finally face all this without fear.

Kyoya dipped his head in consent and backed off, leaving Ryohei a straight path to Tsuna.

"Ryohei, hate me. Leave if you want, relinquish your place as my Guardian, I honestly don't care anymore. I've been keeping it in because I didn't want to jeopardize the Famiglia, but I can't tolerate it any more. Your sister hasn't been the woman I loved for a long time and I can't handle playing along with her games of dating," Tsuna spoke plainly, without any flare to his words. Each note rung with honesty, but the tightening around Ryohei's eyes said that it wasn't appreciated. _I figured as much. I always knew if it came down to it, he would chose his sister over the Famiglia. He has always been blind when it comes to Kyoko._

No sooner did he think that was Ryohei storming forward. No matter how much Tsuna grew, his eyes were still barely level with his Sun Guardian's jaw. Hot wet breathe blasted him in the face as Ryohei's nostrils flared in agitation. All the while Kyoko's cries were in the background, the girl finally having regained enough of her energy to play victim.

"Onii-chan he's lying. Tsu-kun is the one who changed. I see how he looks at all those girls. Guys too. He has been cheating on me, with a _guy_ no less," the caramel haired girl sniffled, earning many glares from the Guardians, the strongest of which belonged to Reborn. Reborn may be incredibly conventional and tough, having been from the 1950s, but he was open-minded enough to accept differentiating sexualities. Something Kyoko obviously wasn't.

Apparently Ryohei wasn't entirely either, if the way he growled lowly in his throat was any indication. Or perhaps it was her claims of Tsuna cheating on her. Granted it was him who told her that lie, but still, semantics never mattered when it came to the heart.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada, you have heart my sister and dishonored her. Whatever friendship we had is over. I want to kill you, but I know that if I did your _Guardians_ would kill me," the blonde spat the word as if he himself wasn't one. And it was likely he wouldn't be.

Tsuna's assumption came true as Ryohei stepped back, pulling off his bengal and throwing it at his former boss's face. The brunette caught it with ease, the bengal turning back into two rings in his hand. Garyuu's burn as it came in contact with his skin, prompting a small hiss from Tsuna before he pitched the animal ring back to Ryohei's feet.

"It's your animal ring. I doubt it will respond to anyone else,"

Ryohei nodded, pocketed the ring, and turned to lift up his sister.

"I will leave peacefully this time. But the next time we meet, I won't be,"

And then the ex-Sun Guardian was gone, leaving only his ring and their memories of friendship behind. Something that Tsuna couldn't help but be responsible for. Yet at the same time, he also felt a weight lifted off his shoulders. As much as he would do anything for his Famiglia, the lie had long started to wear on him.

A warm hand enclosed his shoulder, bringing the nineteen year old's attention to Reborn. Despite the situation, his mentor seemed to radiate pride.

"Takes a lot of courage to stand up for yourself. You did well. As important as Famiglia is, if a boss betrays himself then he is more than likely to betray others," Reborn spoke, before raising a brow as something dawned on him, "Who did you supposedly cheat on her with anyway?"

Tsuna's cheeks tinted pink.

"Um… well… I said Kyoya because I figured he would careless if he was used in a lie…"

His words, sheepish and just the right bit of dame, brought smiles and soft laughter to the Guardian's faces. Even Kyoya had a smirk, like he enjoyed the idea of being used to mess with the Nobody Woman.

Somehow, in the middle of his Guardians, Tsuna felt like everything would be okay. Even if he was down a Guardian, and under the most horrible of circumstances, so long as he had everyone else standing behind him things would be okay.

And for the first time in months he was genuinely happy.

* * *

 **||Author's Note||**

 **Sorry for those who like Kyoko but I needed a reason for her and Tsuna's relationship to not work out for one. And for two, I kinda don't really like her anyway... *rubs neck self-consciously* That doesn't mean I have anything against people who do like her and Tsuna, I just personally don't. So that may have kinda shown through when I was setting up this chapter and reason.**

 **As for Ryohei leaving, it is obvious that his loyalty is to Kyoko above all else. Meaning if it came between her and Tsuna, he would likely chose her. After all she is who he was fight for the entire time anyway. So that is why Ryohei is left his position as Sun Guardian.**

 **I apologize for anything out of character with anyone other than Kyoko. Her OOC was intentional.**

 **The next chapter will likely be another set staging, but one revolving around Homura. Hopefully after that one I can really get into the story. I am just trying to set up everything and give everyone an idea of what has been going on and their current problems going into this.**

 **Anyway let me know what you think. I eager await your reviews. Until next time..**

 **~Aureux**


	3. A Flame's Confliction

Homura sat in the chair, his leg tapping nervously on the ground as he watched over the brunette. Despite the doctor's saying he was fine save for a concussion, bruised ribs, and a fever, the silverette couldn't help worrying over the man whose name he didn't even know.

There was something about the atmosphere, the aura of him, that drew Homura in. Made him feel safe, like he belonged. Something that the male sekirei couldn't help but find amusingly ridiculous. With a body like his, Homura would never truly belong anywhere.

Just when he felt like he was getting comfortable, like life would be bearable, Minato came and his body started to change, to prep itself to answer the siren call of the male Ashikabi. As much as Homura hated it, he slowly found himself getting used to the constant burning trails along his skin, as if it was too tight and his own flames were burning him up from within. It wasn't pleasant, but it was bearable and that was all that mattered.

Now here he was hovering over a guy whose name he doesn't know, worrying over someone he hasn't even ever had a conversation with, but makes him feel so warm. So at home in his presence. And he can't help but on some level be drawn to him like a mouth to a flame. This mysterious man made Homura feel, for the first time in awhile, like he could be whoever he wanted to be and still have a place to return home to.

And that alone worried him. It was proof that he couldn't even react properly.

A muffled groan jolted him from his thoughts, a small blush coloring Homura's features when he realized he had zoned out staring at the brunette's face. Only now the man was staring back with eyes the color of maple leaves in autumn. They were still clouded but with sleep this time rather than pain.

The man tilted his head, blearily gazing at Homura's scrutinizing gray eyes before opening his mouth. His pink lips parted softly, but what came out was entirely unexpected.

"Devo aver colpito la testa più dura di quanto pensassi... O Hayato era in realtà proprio su UMA di... Perché c'è una versione maschile di quel medico femminile dalla MBI in piedi proprio di fronte a me…"

Homura blinked owlishly at him. The first words out of the stranger's mouth were not even in Japanese.

"I don't know what you said, but okay," replied Homura, saying the only thing that came to his bemused mind.

The man seemed to realize something after Homura said that, some of the haze fading from his gaze as if someone waved away the mist from in front of them. Something else seems to appear there, a bright spark of orange like firelight dancing off his irises. It is gone far too quick though for the silverette to be sure he really saw it.

"Ah sorry… ehhe.. I forgot I was in Japan..." the brunette trails off awkwardly, his hand not restrained by an IV rising to run nervously through his hair, "Anyway.. I am Sawada Tsunayoshi, and you are?"

"I am Homura, just Homura. It is a pleasure to meet you Tsunayoshi-san. I was there when you wrecked and came with you to make sure you were okay," Homura replied just as awkward, feeling a bit like a creep once his actions were put to words. But Tsunayoshi didn't look at him with any judgement or negativity. Instead his lip seemed to quirk up into a faint grin.

"Well it is good to meet you too Homura-san. You can just call me Tsuna, Tsunayoshi is a mouthful.. Though, thinking about it, it would probably be a bit more pleasant if we met outside of a hospital and I wasn't wearing a rather breezy gown..." the nervous lopsided grin was oddly endearing. Sadly it was ruined all too quickly when he shifted wrong and let out a rather unmanly yelp for his troubles.

"I would suggest you be a bit more careful. The doctor says you bruised your ribs in the accident," Homura suggested softly, only for Tsuna to snort darkly at his advice.

"Yeah not the first time I've bruised them," his tone was grim as he rubbed gently at his likely tender side. Yet, somehow he managed to look like a pouting child despite his supposed seriousness.

As awkward as the situation was Homura couldn't help but chuckle at that. Tsuna for his part, seemed to widen his golden brown eyes and resemble a kicked puppy even more.

"Mou, it's not very nice to laugh at people,"

"Having that kind of expression isn't helping you any," Homura shot back, finally wresting control of his laughter. He schooled his features into a completely serious expression, removing any trace of a smile.

Tsuna did the same.

Then, after a few minutes of awkward silence staring into each other's eyes…

The two both burst out into loud laughter.

"Ah-ha this is the most fun I've ever had waking up in a hospital," Tsuna confessed in between giggles, his face and the skin trailing down his chest taking on a red hue. Part of Homura wondered if it went down any further, but was quick to dismiss the thought. He was a guy. He was supposed to like girls, damn it. The whole reacting a male was really messing him up.

Tsuna seemed to catch his sudden discomfort and leaned forward to grab the hand Homura left resting on the sheets. At the brunette's touch, another thrill of electricity followed by a comforting heat ran up his arm. And, judging by the surprised expression on the brunette's face, he felt it too. It was all Homura could do not to tug his arm away in shock.

"What's wrong Homura?" Tsuna asked, seemingly deciding to ignore the immediate matter for a more trivial one. Something that was both endearing and annoying to Homura. That seemed to be the case for the entire situation.

Part of him felt like he could oh too easily let himself drown in the honey of Tsuna's eyes while another part was disgusted by himself. Disgusted that he let himself get so attracted to the point of reacting with another guy, even after he already showed signs of reacting to Minato. Why couldn't things be easy for once? Why couldn't he just get the female Ashikabi he wanted? Instead he was reacting to not one, but two males!

"Nothing. Well if you are all right, I have to head home. I have work in the morning. It was nice meeting you, Tsunayoshi," Homura steeled his voice, pulling away from the other man. He couldn't deal with this. This situation was overwhelming and all over the place. It was beyond him.

So he was going to do what he does best. He was going to avoid it like the plague and continue doing his job. Maybe if he put things off long enough they would go away, at least that's what he could bring himself to hope. Homura prayed with every part of his being that he could stay away from Tsuna and all would be right. That everything would go back to the way it was, before this guy quite literally fell right into his life.

But, as Homura shoved his way through the door, the words that followed him made him think that maybe just maybe, he wouldn't be able to stay away. Because, rather than get mad, than accuse Homura of being the coward he is, the brunette simply said one thing. One thing that had never been said to him so earnestly by anyone other than Miya.

"Alright then. Have a good night Homura. And thank you for making sure I was okay,"

.:HXH:.

A man dressed in a startling amount of white stood on top of Tokyo Tower, the wind messing with his hair and his mantel. In his hands, he fiddled with a phone, texting much like a teenage girl would her crush. But his typing spree ended when the door to his perch opened to admit a gray-haired doctor.

"Hello Takami. What brings you to my humble lair at this time of night?" he said breezily, his tone childish but holding a faint darker ring to it, something that spoke of untold genius and insanity. His eyes would likely be the same, two shrewd pools showing intelligence and an untold capacity to evil. But that was just an assumption, given their nature hidden behind highly reflective glasses.

"You asked me to come and give you the report on him to you in person," Takami, the woman, replied dryly, far too used to the man's antics. The white appearance of her knuckles as she clung to the clipboard for dear life was the only sign of her true discomfort.

"Oh yes. Well? Is it a success?"

"It appears so. The DNA implant was a success and it appears to be working. He already has attracted a sekirei..." Her words trailed off, eyebrows scrunched together as if unsure of the information she was reading. He seemed to notice it out of the corner of his eye.

"Good. It would have been a pain if he died. I have no doubt the Vongola could really mess up my plans if they were provoked properly. But there is more. Something else that seems to have puzzled you. What is it?"

"Nothing gets past you does it?" Takami sighed wearily, looking up at him from the edge of her clip board. For his part, the white man merely grin cheekily.

"Of course not. I am a genius after all. So spill, what has little Takami so worried?"

"The sekirei he attracted had already reacted to Minato. It might just be a fluke, since the reaction had yet to move toward the winging stage, or this boy may just be able to steal the attention of birds who aren't winged, whether or not they have already been claimed by another Ashikabi,"

The man whistled, impressed.

"I am glad I got to claim you Tsunayoshi Sawada. You will surely make this even more interesting. I can't wait to see who you wing, Sky-san,"

As the man walked back into the building, a new bounce in his step and a lively tune on his lips, Takami remained. Her gray eyes trailed over the sky-line, dotted with sparkling buildings. She knew that really soon the man, Minaka, would close the borders of Tokyo trapping all who remained in it until his games finally came to an end. Ashikabi and Sekirei alike would be trapped to fight to the death.

Her thoughts turned to the new one, an individual who was completely uninvolved until the moment he entered the city under Minaka. Whoever this Tsunayoshi was, however normal he was before, he gave up his normalcy the moment he stepped into Tokyo's borders.

No maybe that wasn't exactly right. If this man got Minaka's attention he couldn't have been completely normal. But whoever he was, whatever he could do, that didn't justify dragging him here.

Takami couldn't help the anger and disgust toward the man who was her boss and once her lover. What was once quirky charm and charisma had long lapsed into a full on God Complex borderlining insanity. Whoever he was when they were together was long gone, given into the joy of controlling lives. And now another innocent was pulled into his web of control.

She was just as guilty. She had been with him when he found the ship, had been by his side during the starts of these plans. She was too embroiled in the coming storm to step out of the way. But that was her lot in life. From the beginning she knew she would go down with the rest when the time came. It still wore on her though.

So with whatever shreds of faith she had left, she bowed her head and prayed. Prayed for the little birds, the innocents who would be lost in the coming weeks, and for the sky, may it receive all the souls without judgement.

Lastly she prayed for the soul, who even anxious radiate such warmth under her hands as she single handedly dealt out his fate to be involved in all of this.

"Whoever you are Tsunayoshi, I am deeply sorry for what I've helped bring you into,"

* * *

 ***I must have hit my head harder than I thought... Or Hayato was actually right about UMA's... Because there is a male version of that female doctor from the MBI standing right in front of me...**

 **Translation Ah La Google Translate since I don't know anyone who speaks fluent Italian to translate the sentence for me.**

* * *

 **||Author's Note||**

 **Okay normally I don't update this frequently, but I was on a role tonight. As such you guys got three chapters for the price of one. This is the final real set up chapter. From here things will start going on. I am sorry for any awkwardness in this, I usually don't write this kind of thing so I am doing the best I can. I can't exactly tell you when I update again. I could do more chapters tomorrow or it could be a few weeks to a few days before chapter 4 comes out. I can tell you one thing though.**

 **Reviews directly correlate with my energy. The more reviews I get, the more likely I am to push myself into trying to update more. So please let me know what you think and pass on any criticisms you have.**

 **Also this likely won't be an insanely long story. I can't tell you how many chapters it will be, but it likely won't be a giant quantity.**

 **On another note, if there are any other sekirei you really really want to have Tsuna have, let me know. As it is, I have only made plans for him to have Homura. But the trick is, you have to give me a reason why you want him to have this sekirie. You can't just tell me like "Uzume Cause Reasons". You have to give me a valid reason and if I like the reason and think it could fit into the story than I will be happy to oblige.**

 **Anyway until next time.**

 **~Aureux**


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